Scones and Cobblestones
by Roschelle Templar
Summary: Short fics gathering together little moments in-between the mysteries in Kembleford...
1. Respite

Respite

"Father? Where are you?"

Father Brown looked up from the homily he was working on in his office. He had sent Sid on an errand two hours ago and hadn't expected him back this early. Something might have gone wrong.

"Sid?" he said, getting up and leaving his office. He walked into the kitchen to find Sid sitting at the table. More accurately, Sid was slumped over the tabletop, his face red and sweat dribbling down his forehead.

"Sid, what happened?" he said, fetching a glass from the cupboard. "You were just supposed to follow Mr. Hubbard not beat him in a marathon."

"And that's all I did," Sid huffed. "How was I to know he'd start running all over Kembleford after closing his shop for the day? I still don't see how he did it."

"What do you mean?" Brown said, his curiosity aroused. He got a glass pitcher of water from the fridge and poured Sid a drink before sitting down next to him. Sid immediately grabbed the glass and gulped down half the water before continuing.

"I hung around his shop, like you said, right? Well, this bloke shows up with a huge paper sack on his arm."

"By any chance was it our friend with the dark glasses?" Brown asked. Sid grinned and pointed a finger at him.

"You guessed it, Father. So I figure, 'if he's showing up out in the open, it's got to be important.' He's in there for ten minutes and leaves and that's when Hubbard closes his shop and heads out. He tried looking around, seeing if anyone was following him at first, but he never spotted me. But then he starts running off. I had to keep running the whole time to stick with him."

"And where did our Mr. Hubbard go?" Brown asked. Sid finished what was in his glass and wiped his face with his forearm.

"It wasn't just one place. It was four. The same four places where the owners suddenly 'forgot' about being burgled three nights ago. Some coincidence, huh?"

"Yes," Father Brown smiled. "I think it's time that Inspector Sullivan paid them another visit. I have a hunch that his search of those houses will yield much more fruitful results than his initial searches did."

"Like finding all of those coin cases from that museum exhibit that went missing," Sid said nodding. Then he went back to resting on the tabletop, his head lying on his hands.

Father Brown got up to pour Sid another glass of water, making sure this time to add a couple of ice cubes to it. Sid looked exhausted, but hadn't complained once about all the running he just did.

Although there was nothing unusual about that. Something that was always in a corner of Father Brown's mind.

"Here, drink this," he said, setting the glass next to Sid's hand. "I'm going to go make a phone call now."

Sid didn't sit up, but still nodded his head. Father Brown lightly patted Sid's shoulder, an even wider smile on his face as he moved toward the telephone.


	2. A Time To Every Purpose

A Time To Every Purpose

 **Author's Note** : This chapter takes place after The Sins of Others.

* * *

 _'To every thing there is a season….'_

Father Brown looked up from his Bible and sighed. Currently, he was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping some tea and trying to concentrate on writing his homily for over an hour without any success.

He knew he was distracted, but he was used to that. The people in his parish often needed him for one thing or another and he left his door open just so they could call on him whenever that need arose. Thus, he was used to having to think about many things outside his official church duties. Normally, he could handle the distractions by putting them in a corner of his mind and making the decision to tend to them later.

But as much as he tried to think of this as a normal time, Father Brown knew, deep down, that he couldn't. Because it wasn't every day that you say goodbye to a part of your family.

 _'A time to mourn and a time to dance….'_

Brown took off his glasses and stood up to look out the window. He had had to say goodbye to Sid before when he'd been sent to prison. However, that didn't have the same feeling as this last goodbye did. Despite Sid's assurance that he would return. In some ways, the former time was worse simply because Sid would be imprisoned for something he didn't do. And yet, this time had its own poignancy. Not because he thought that Sid would end up in a bad place.

More like, because it was possible that he'd end up somewhere he liked better than Kembleford.

 _'A time to get and a time to lose….'_

Father Brown frowned. When he agreed to look after Sid, it was always with the intention of helping him grow and find his own path in the world. It was with the goal that he'd grow up wise and happy. Wisdom was something that Father Brown was certain would come with time. Happiness, however, would always be up to Sid to find, no matter how much Brown tried to give him reasons to be happy.

Somewhere along the way though, Father Brown was forced to admit that it also become about his own happiness….something that he had neither anticipated nor was entirely comfortable with.

 _'A time to keep silence and a time to speak.'_

It had been one of the most difficult things he ever did, but when Sid announced that he was leaving to travel, Father Brown did not say anything to dissuade him. Sure, he tried to stretch out the goodbye as much as he could, but he knew that he would always regret it if he had made Sid doubt his own decision for even a moment.

Father Brown rubbed his eyes and sat back down at the kitchen table. Mrs. McCarthy was coming soon and was sure to ask about his progress on his homily. Even though his heart was heavy now, he was certain that there was a reason, a purpose, for Sid leaving Kembleford. For however short or long of a time it might end up being. He would trust God's wisdom in this matter, a thought that helped him shift his mind back into focus.

 _'He hath made every thing beautiful in His time….'_

Father Brown smiled and turned his attention back to his Bible, seeking God's guidance as he found the words he needed to minister to his flock this Sunday.


	3. Difference

Difference

Lady Felicia rarely believed in doing things the easy way. Even when the easy way was handed to her.

Becoming a lady of society hadn't been that difficult. She was born into a family of means and turned the heads of many men who had both means and a title to go with it. Felicia could have chosen a man who was less staid than Lord Montague and more exciting for her to be around…but that also would have meant that she would have less autonomy on how she conducted herself on a day by day basis.

In the battle for freedom versus happiness, Lady Felicia always knew which side would win.

She thought about that decision again while she got dressed for an evening with Marcus. Monty was on yet another business trip in London, leaving her to fill in the spaces in her time. Marcus was only staying in Kembleford for a week, but Felicia could be happy with that. The warm light in Marcus' chestnut eyes when he complimented her was something she'd remember for a long time. Perhaps the rest of her life.

Felicia had just finished spreading a crimson lipstick on her bottom lip when she remembered that she needed to practice the aria she had chosen for this Sunday's service. Mrs. McCarthy had not-so-subtly suggested a more traditional hymn, but Felicia had pretended not to hear. She knew the song would soar up to the ceiling of the church if she sung it just right which would be a lovely accompaniment to Father Brown's quiet, but dignified homily that would follow.

She would just have to be sure to get it right. A challenge, but then again, so many beautiful things in life were.

Satisfied with her appearance, Felicia got up and slipped on her shoes. Sid would be waiting outside next to the car by now. He already knew where they were going and hadn't said a word about it from the moment she informed him. She suspected that Sid didn't like Marcus. That he thought that Marcus was some kind of con man. Perhaps he was. If anyone would know, it would be Sid. And perhaps if she was honest with herself, she would see it too. Not that she cared to right now. Marcus was going to be gone in a week so what was the point of spoiling such a good thing with some uncalled for honesty?

Felicia chose a fur wrap that could keep out most of the evening chill and grabbed her clutch. Marcus had arranged for a quiet dinner for two in the room he was staying in on the outskirts of Kembleford. Per her request, she knew that he had ordered more than one bottle of wine for them to share.

Her heels clicked along the floor as she walked out. Sid was leaning against the Rolls, which he had parked just outside the door, with his arms crossed over his chest. As soon as he saw her walk out, he was ready with the door open and his usual smirk on his face. Felicia met that smirk with a teasing gaze of her own before climbing into the back.

"Can I go to the pub across from the hotel?" he asked as he pulled out of the driveway. "Or is this going to be a short evening?"

"This will not be short by any means. Not if I have my way," Felicia said. "And Sid, have you forgotten that you're still driving tonight?"

Sid snorted, but Felicia simply smiled and reached over the seat with a handful of coins.

"I hear they've got a delicious shepherd's pie at that pub," she said. "So I'm certain that you will stick to dinner while you're there."

Sid grinned and pocketed the change he had given her. That grin was just as good as a thank you as far as Felicia was concerned.

Felicia fell back against her seat and smiled again, wondering if Monty could ever see anything as wonderful as that glint in Marcus' eyes.


	4. Rainy Day

Rainy Day

 **Author's Note** : This story takes place when Sid was about eleven years old and was growing up in Kembleford as a war orphan. In my head-canon, Father Brown had Sid live with him at the presbytery and took care of him. For additional background on that, check out my story Ad Meliora on my AO3 account (more info about that on my profile page).

* * *

Sid was bored.

He'd finished his homework and his chores almost an hour ago. Normally, he would be outside playing with his friends, but there was currently a brutal thunder shower that was pouring out buckets of rain. And it showed no signs of letting up any time soon.

Sid drummed his fingertips across the surface of the kitchen table, his legs swinging back and forth underneath. Mrs. M had already stopped by earlier that day and had left a shepherd's pie in the oven for them to share for dinner tonight, so it was unlikely that she would be back for the rest of the day. Lady F was on holiday in Paris for the next two weeks, so she wouldn't be dropping by either.

He let out a long sigh and looked at the window which was blurry from rivulets of rain running down it. Father Brown was in his office, probably working on his homily, so it wouldn't be right to disturb him. At least, that's what Mrs. M was constantly telling him. Sid started to contemplate ignoring her suggestion yet again when Brown suddenly walked into the kitchen, rubbing his hands together with a smile on his face.

"Finally finished with all that paper work," he said. "Now, for a spot of tea and….oh, Sid. Surprised to see you in here. I thought you'd finished your work a while ago." Just then, a crash of thunder brought a flash of realization to the Father's face. "Oh…oh I see."

"Right," Sid said, heaving another sigh. "Can't go out in this. Not unless I want to go swimming. But there's nothing to do here either."

"I quite disagree," Father Brown said. "There are always plenty of things to do. It's just a matter of finding them."

"Yeah, but I'm talking about fun stuff," Sid said with a smirk. "Not more chores or boring things like that."

"And I was referring to fun activities as well," Father Brown said with a touch of feigned hurt in his tone. Sid chuckled, knowing that nothing was meant by it which prompted a smile on Brown's face as well.

"This isn't the first rainy day I've been through," he added. "I'm sure we can find something we can both enjoy."

* * *

"There now, this is a wonderful way to pass the time on a day like today," Father Brown said, surveying the chess board he had set up. "Now, would you like to be white or black?"

"Black, I guess," Sid shrugged, his chin propped up by the heel of his hand. "When can I move the horse guys?"

"They're knights," Brown replied. "And not until the squares around them open up. For that, you'll need to move your pawns."

"I thought you said that I could move pieces around any way I wanted to," Sid said. "Like the queens."

"There's only one queen for each of us," Brown explained. "And yes, you can move them in any direction you want, but there are still limitations for each piece. And one of them is that you need to start with your pawns."

"But those guys can't do anything and you'll take them out so easily," Sid protested.

Father Brown eyed Sid from across the table. He did want to teach Sid how to play chess, but perhaps a rainy day when he was already bored was not the best time to do so.

"All right, Sid, how about we save this game for later? Is there a game that you could teach me?"

* * *

"I do hope Mrs. M will keep to her word to stay home for the rest of the evening," Father Brown frowned. "I'm not sure how she would feel about a priest playing cards."

"It's just poker, Father," Sid said. "And it has strategy and all that stuff you were talking about for chess. It's just a different kind of strategy."

"Yes," Father Brown muttered. "A type you seem to be all too familiar with given how many hands you've won so far."

"Aw, I'm just showing you the ropes right now, Father," Sid grinned. "But how about we start making it a little more interesting?"

"I think it's been interesting enough so far, thank you, Sid," Brown said. "Now, remind me again, does a flush beat a straight?"

"It might," Sid said, his smile growing. "Want to make a bet on it?"

* * *

"Now, this is more like it," Father Brown said. "There's a lot to be said for working together on a puzzle."

"Depends on how much fun the puzzle is," Sid replied. "And why are you making those piles of pieces?"

"Those are the border pieces, Sid," Brown answered. "It's easier to start with them and then work your way inward. So how about you help me find them?"

"Sure," Sid nodded. Then they both fell silent as they carefully sorted the pieces. First, by finding the border pieces, then by separating out the solid blue pieces that looked like sky. Then they each began to pore over the pieces that were left, occasionally finding a pair that interlocked together.

Father Brown glanced over at Sid once in a while as they worked. Although he had started slow, Sid was starting to spy pieces that probably fit together at a steadily increasing speed. It wasn't long before they had each put together a good-sized chunk of the center.

"Hey, you can almost see the castle now," Sid said. He swiveled in his chair to face Father Brown better. "You know, Father, you and me…we make a pretty good team, yeah? Figuring out the puzzles and all that."

A wide smile lit up Father Brown's face as he looked over at him. "Yes. Yes, we do, Sid."


	5. Gathering Together

Gathering Together

Sid sat up in bed and rubbed his head. It had been another long night at the Red Lion. A fun one though. Filled with songs and laughs and moments where Sid could just throw away any thoughts of how things had ever gone wrong in his life or how they could in the future. But there was always a price to pay for that, and right now he was feeling it in the pounding, erratic beats in his head.

Sid groaned and rubbed his temples one more time before moving to get up and deciding to have a morning cigarette instead. He would have to get ready to go out soon. He'd agree to go up to the McDaniels' farm and work on their barn. And fix the lights in the den of their house. There wouldn't be a lot of money in that, but there would probably be a box stuffed full of food from the farm that he could enjoy over the next week.

He was just about to get dressed when he spotted a piece of paper lying on the table. He picked it up and smiled as he instantly recognized the handwriting.

The smile grew as he remembered why he had gotten that paper in the first place.

* * *

Lady Felicia struggled to figure out what to wear on her date tomorrow night.

Nathan was one of the most exciting guests she had entertained in Kembleford in a long while. They had started out by swapping stories of trips to London and Paris and had soon moved on to easy laughs at jokes and comfortable silences. Tomorrow, Monty was returning to London to take care of estate matters and Nathan's sister would be heading back early. It was an opportunity that she had hoped for within minutes of meeting Nathan.

Felicia pushed a couple of her dresses aside and wondered if it was time she got something new. She wanted to make the right impression on Nathan, but was unsure of how to do it. If he would respond better to something more forward like the red dress she had bought a week ago which perfectly matched her figure or the blue one which was more relaxed and matched her eyes.

She smiled and finally came to a decision, pulling out the dress she chose and laying it out to be freshened up before her dinner with Nathan tomorrow. Tonight would be far less fun, however, as Nathan had agreed to spend the evening at Monty's club rather than have dinner at the Montague estate again.

Felicia let out a little sigh and wondered how she could liven up her evening when she suddenly remembered a card she had gotten in the mail yesterday. Then her upcoming evening didn't seem so drab after all.

* * *

Mrs. McCarthy was busy as usual, although for a change, it was at home rather than at the church or the presbytery.

She knew the Father would be working on his homily today along with some of his own paperwork, so she decided to tackle her spring cleaning so it would stop lurking at the back of her mind. Not that she had all that much work to do. Years ago, she had been ingrained with a habit of keeping everything tidy and spotless and had never lost that routine. What might have taken other days only took her a few hours.

Once she was done, she was satisfied although she knew she would have to touch up soon enough. After all, there was no point in letting herself remain idle for too long.

In fact, she was already contemplating what she could do with her evening. She could stop by the presbytery. The Father always did seem to need her for one thing or another at some point every day. Or she could drop in on the widow Kitchner. Amelia Kitchner was currently trying to piece together a quilt and McCarthy knew that she would need all the help she could get.

She was just about to put on her hat and grab her purse when the stack of mail by the door caught her attention. She hadn't read all of it, so she grabbed the piece on top and opened it up so she could scan the contents.

It was then that her activities for the evening were decided for her.

* * *

Father Brown paced about the kitchen, a pleased smile on his face.

He had spent the week studying and contemplating where all of his other attempts had gone wrong and was convinced that he had had the problems solved. Now was the moment of truth when he would find out if all of his work had paid off.

A few moments later, Lady Felicia, Mrs. McCarthy and Sid walked into the presbytery and joined Father Brown in the kitchen.

"All right, Father, what's this about, eh?" Sid said, plopping down into a chair.

"Yes, something about taking care of dinner for us?" Felicia said, her curiosity stirred.

"And what's that I smell?" Mrs. McCarthy said. "Something in the oven?"

"Ah yes," Father Brown grinned. "I invited all of you hear to try the fruit of my labors. My own version of Mrs. M's delectable chicken pies."

Everyone else groaned and put their hands on their face. They knew that no good could come from the Father making dinner, and yet none of them could dredge up any regret over coming.

For, no matter what mishap was awaiting them in the oven, they were all sure that there was a warm, happy time ahead of them.


End file.
